Daniel and I worked on a wooden crate for the project this week, and in this blog post, I will describe the entire process. From cutting to assembly, with all the successes and failures we encountered along the way!

Cutting~

To commence our project, we collected and measured all the wood necessary to start cutting. Using the miter saw, we cut 9 14.5” long pieces of 1”x4” lumber, 6 12” long pieces of 1”x4” lumber,  and 4 10”-11” long pieces of 2”x2” lumber. Then we proceeded to cut out semicircles on two of the 12” long pieces of 1”x4” lumber to serve as the handles for the crate.

Assembly~

After all the wood was cut, we started with assembly and decided to start with the frame of the crate. Employing what we learned in class, we used woodworking techniques with clamps, drills, and wood alignment (such as butting the planks correctly).  Thus, we produced a rectangular frame and repeated this process twice. Then, with the remaining three 14.5” long pieces of 1”x4” lumber, we assembled the base by drilling these planks into the frame. Next, we connected the frames with 10”-11” long pieces of 2 ” x 2” lumber. To get consistent spacing between the frames, we placed planks between them and proceeded to nail the frames to the 4 10”-11” pieces. 

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Routing~

Before the complete assembly of the crates, we routed each layer of the crate. We decided to do this after assembling each frame because it would guarantee a consistent routing process along the edge of each frame component.  

Sanding~

Unfortunately, we did two sanding waves because of the roughness that still prevailed after the first iteration. After the assembly, we sanded it again before adding any wood stain. Although it was the correct decision, we learned to emphasize in the earlier stages of working on a wood project, working on the finer details such as sanding and creating a smooth texture. We also should have used the planar more, which would have improved our overall project.

Staining~

After the second sanding wave, we added a wood stain rather than a spray paint coat because we prefer the wood stain’s final look. We decided on a lighter stain to ensure a more natural look on our crate. We followed the class lessons by using a brush, waiting 2-5 minutes, and wiping off the stain to give it an even look. After this process was finished, we had completed our wooden crate.

This process taught us many lessons that we plan to implement in other projects. The attention to the small details, such as sanding, staining, and planing, all play a critical role in the final product and are often overlooked by many (as we did). Although we did encounter a few mishaps, this project provided excellent feedback on what I need to improve and focus on while working on wood-based projects.

Cost Analysis ~ $120.05

Wood Stain – $9

Screws – $3

Wood –  $19.44

• 1” x 4” Lumber ~ 18.38 (17 feet)
• 2” x 2” Lumber ~ 1.06 (3.33 feet)

Wood Maker Space – $1.61 ($50 a month)

Labor – $87 (6 hours each at $7.25 per hour)

The spaces after we finished.